Cedar Rapids, IA, USA  
Digital Edition Digital Edition
Log in Log In My Account My Account
Subscribe Today
The Gazette The Gazette
The Gazette The Gazette
  • COVID-19
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Food & Drink
  • Business
Digital Edition Digital Edition
Log in Log In My Account My Account
Subscribe
CLOSE
The Gazette
Subscribe
My Account
  • News
    • All News
    • Election 2020
    • Coronavirus
    • Business News
    • Community
    • Crime and Courts
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Nation and World
    • Time Machine
    • Search Archive

    Our Journalists

    • Rod Boshart
    • Lee Hermiston
    • Erin Jordan
    • James Q. Lynch
    • Trish Mehaffey
    • Vanessa Miller
    • Kat Russell
    • Grace King
    • John Steppe
    • Gage Miskimen
    • Marissa Payne
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Iowa Hawkeyes
    • Hawkeye Football
    • Hawkeye Basketball
    • Prep Sports
    • Prep Volleyball
    • Prep Football
    • Prep Basketball
    • Prep Wrestling
    • Iowa State Cyclones
    • UNI Panthers
    • Small College Sports
    • Minor League Sports
    • Outdoors

    Sports Desk

    • Mike Hlas
    • Jeff Johnson
    • Jeff Linder
    • J.R. Ogden
    • K.J. Pilcher
    • Leah Vann
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Editorial Mission
    • Guest Columnists
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Political Cartoons
    • Staff Columnists
    • Staff Editorials
    • Submit a Letter or Column

    Our Columnists

    • Todd Dorman
    • Adam Sullivan
  • Food and Drink
    • All Food and Drink
    • Chew on This
    • Recipes
    • Restaurants
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Business Notes
    • Companies
    • Personal Finance
    • Economy
    • Employment
    • Energy
    • Manufacturing
    • Openings & Closures
    • Real Estate
    • Retail
    • Small Business
    • Transportation

    Our Journalists

    • Rod Boshart
    • Erin Jordan
    • John Steppe
  • Obituaries
    • All Obituaries
    • In Memory Of
    • Submit an Obituary
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • Daily News Podcast
    • Fact Checker
    • Hlastradamus Odds
    • Iowa Prep Sports
    • On Iowa
    • On Iowa Politics
    • On UNI
    • Pinning Combination
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Art
    • Books
    • Museums & Galleries
    • Music
    • Theater
    • Things To Do
  • Living
    • All Living
    • Health & Wellness
    • Home & Garden
    • Milestones
    • People & Places
    • Pets & Animals
    • Recreation
    • Religion & Belief
    • Travel

    Our Writers

    • Diana Nollen
  • Kids Gazette
    • See All
    • Kids Cooking Series
    • Kids Galleries
    • Printables
    • Activities
    • Articles
    • Submissions
    • Resources
  • Photos
    • All Photos and Videos
    • The Iowa Photo
    • Photo Store

    Our Photojournalists

    • Andy Abeyta
    • Liz Martin
    • Rebecca Miller
    • Jim Slosiarek
    • Gazette Visuals
  • Milestones
    • All Milestones
    • Anniversaries
    • Days To Remember
    • Engagements
    • Holidays
    • In Remembrance
    • New Arrivals
    • Thank Yous
    • Submit a Milestone
  • Data
    • Arrests
    • Building Permits
    • Interactive Maps & Charts
    • Salaries
  • Gazette Sites
    • Classifieds
    • Corridor Careers
    • Garage Sales
    • Gazette Gives Back
    • Gazette Rewards
    • Gazette Store
    • Green Gazette
    • HER
    • Iowa Wedding Experience
    • Holiday Light Finder
    • Hoopla
    • Iowa Ideas
    • Photo Store
  • Special Events
  • Special Sections
  • Other
    • About The Gazette
    • Archives
    • Article Removal
    • Business Directory
    • CR Arrest Database
    • Mobile Apps
    • Customer Care
    • Order Back Issues
    • Privacy Policies
    • Puzzle Answers
    • Sponsorship Requests
    • Submit a Letter
    • Weather
Daily News PodcastDaily News Podcast
Daily NewslettersDaily Newsletters
Log out

FOLLOW US

The Gazette
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Food and Drink
  • Business
  • Obituaries
  • Podcasts
  • Entertainment
  • Living
  • Kids Gazette
  • Photos
  • Milestones
  • Data
  • Gazette Sites
  • Special Events
  • Special Sections
  • Other
  • All News
  • Election 2020
  • Coronavirus
  • Business News
  • Community
  • Crime and Courts
  • Education
  • Government
  • Health
  • Nation and World
  • Time Machine
  • Search Archive

Our Journalists

  • Rod Boshart
  • Lee Hermiston
  • Erin Jordan
  • James Q. Lynch
  • Trish Mehaffey
  • Vanessa Miller
  • Kat Russell
  • Grace King
  • John Steppe
  • Gage Miskimen
  • Marissa Payne
  • All Sports
  • Iowa Hawkeyes
  • Hawkeye Football
  • Hawkeye Basketball
  • Prep Sports
  • Prep Volleyball
  • Prep Football
  • Prep Basketball
  • Prep Wrestling
  • Iowa State Cyclones
  • UNI Panthers
  • Small College Sports
  • Minor League Sports
  • Outdoors

Sports Desk

  • Mike Hlas
  • Jeff Johnson
  • Jeff Linder
  • J.R. Ogden
  • K.J. Pilcher
  • Leah Vann
  • All Opinion
  • Editorial Mission
  • Guest Columnists
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Political Cartoons
  • Staff Columnists
  • Staff Editorials
  • Submit a Letter or Column

Our Columnists

  • Todd Dorman
  • Adam Sullivan
  • All Food and Drink
  • Chew on This
  • Recipes
  • Restaurants
  • All Business
  • Agriculture
  • Business Notes
  • Companies
  • Personal Finance
  • Economy
  • Employment
  • Energy
  • Manufacturing
  • Openings & Closures
  • Real Estate
  • Retail
  • Small Business
  • Transportation

Our Journalists

  • Rod Boshart
  • Erin Jordan
  • John Steppe
  • All Obituaries
  • In Memory Of
  • Submit an Obituary
  • All Podcasts
  • Daily News Podcast
  • Fact Checker
  • Hlastradamus Odds
  • Iowa Prep Sports
  • On Iowa
  • On Iowa Politics
  • On UNI
  • Pinning Combination
  • All Entertainment
  • Art
  • Books
  • Museums & Galleries
  • Music
  • Theater
  • Things To Do
  • All Living
  • Health & Wellness
  • Home & Garden
  • Milestones
  • People & Places
  • Pets & Animals
  • Recreation
  • Religion & Belief
  • Travel

Our Writers

  • Diana Nollen
  • See All
  • Kids Cooking Series
  • Kids Galleries
  • Printables
  • Activities
  • Articles
  • Submissions
  • Resources
  • All Photos and Videos
  • The Iowa Photo
  • Photo Store

Our Photojournalists

  • Andy Abeyta
  • Liz Martin
  • Rebecca Miller
  • Jim Slosiarek
  • Gazette Visuals
  • All Milestones
  • Anniversaries
  • Days To Remember
  • Engagements
  • Holidays
  • In Remembrance
  • New Arrivals
  • Thank Yous
  • Submit a Milestone
  • Arrests
  • Building Permits
  • Interactive Maps & Charts
  • Salaries
  • Classifieds
  • Corridor Careers
  • Garage Sales
  • Gazette Gives Back
  • Gazette Rewards
  • Gazette Store
  • Green Gazette
  • HER
  • Iowa Wedding Experience
  • Holiday Light Finder
  • Hoopla
  • Iowa Ideas
  • Photo Store
  • About The Gazette
  • Archives
  • Article Removal
  • Business Directory
  • CR Arrest Database
  • Mobile Apps
  • Customer Care
  • Order Back Issues
  • Privacy Policies
  • Puzzle Answers
  • Sponsorship Requests
  • Submit a Letter
  • Weather
Daily News PodcastDaily News Podcast Daily NewslettersDaily Newsletters
LOG OUT

FOLLOW US

More Stories

Iowa State Patrol trooper killed during standoff

Hari Michele Osofsky is first University of Iowa presidential finalist…

Despite their discomfort, some residents beginning to agree to COVID-19…

CANCELED: Operation Quickfind issued for Marion boy

Iowa OSHA: Anamosa prison didn’t have reliable radios

After border visit, Hinson calls for reinstating Trump policies

Visitor restrictions eased at Cedar Rapids hospitals

Joni Ernst says ‘zero’ chance she will run for president…

Home / Opinion / Staff Columnists

Back to school in a pandemic

Sep. 9, 2020 12:48 pm Updated: Sep. 9, 2020 12:55 pm
Back to school in a pandemic

What I normally do with my kids the night before school starts is take them to a fancy restaurant where we clink glasses and share tips on surviving with new teachers and new friends. What I normally do the week before school starts is take my kids shopping, where we will try on shoes, fuss over pants, find the right notebook and then eat pancakes at Perkins and talk about our summer.

But what is normal no longer is an option in 2020 when a pandemic still leaks through our community.

In Iowa, where statewide positivity rate is 17.8 percent, schools are starting in person. This is happening because Gov. Kim Reynolds has mandated that schools meet more than 50 percent in-person. A mandate that directly contradicts expert advice, which recommends in-person education when there is a positivity rate of less than 5 percent.

As a result, two school districts are suing to begin online classes. Recent court rulings determined that the state, not districts, should decide whether kids attend schools in person. But if that's the case, the state should have the additional responsibility of recording and reporting accurate data. But that isn't happening.

Instead, Iowans are being required to send our kids to school in-person, in a COVID-19 hot spot, where our state is backdating positive tests, which artificially manipulations the positivity rate. And the state also is not collecting or reporting data on outbreaks in schools and there is no consistent approach to testing students.

In-person education is so important, not just for learning, but because for many children school is the only place they receive a meal and where abuse is noticed and reported. But strong arming parents into putting their children into school without accurate and transparent data and without choices, puts children and teachers at risk.

It didn't have to be this way. We could have limited the spread of the virus, we could have stayed locked down, we could have canceled summer sports and kept restrictions on bars and restaurants. But we didn't. We had all summer to plan and get ready, instead we held county fairs and rodeos and drank in bars.

Many parents in Iowa are opting to home-school instead of sending them back. But as a working single mom, I don't have that luxury of choice. And choices aren't really choices when they are reserved for those with money or two-parent households.

So, here we are, strapping on backpacks and masks onto our children, sending them into schools with temperature checks at the door, social distancing games in the hallway and a lot of unanswered questions. COVID-19 cases are rising among children. Statistics seem to show that relatively few children are hospitalized from the virus, and many are asymptomatic spreaders. But what about the community? The teachers?

The night before school started, in lieu of our regular traditions, I made a fancy dinner, we clinked glasses and talked about masking, temperature checks and hand washing. We talked about new friends and social distance. And in the morning, I sent them to school, none of us really ready, but all of us without any real options.

The real lesson this school year will be what exactly this careless American experiment will cost us.

lyz.lenz@thegazette.com; 319-368-8513

Siblings Alex (left) and Pyper Danly pose for a photo on the first day of school at Prairie View Elementary in Cedar Rapids on Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. Alex was starting fourth grade, and Pyper first grade. College Community students in the A block started class on Monday, and the B block will begin Thursday. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Trending

  • Special events cap IMCA Deery Bros season

    Null

  • Hawkeyes add 6-foot-11 Riley Mulvey for next season

    Mike Hlas

  • American Airlines adds flight from Cedar Rapids to Phoenix

    Null

  • First University of Iowa presidential finalist: Penn State Law dean

    Vanessa Miller

  • Authorities: Iowa patrol trooper killed during standoff

    Ap

Give us feedback

We work hard to provide fair, accurate coverage because we value your trust. If you find an error or omission in our reporting, please tell us here.

Submit a story idea

Do you have a story idea that we should look into? Please tell us here.

Related Stories

Capitol Ideas: Trump looms over GOP hopefuls’ treks to Iowa

Capitol Ideas: Trump looms over GOP hopefuls’ treks to Iowa

Erin Murphy News Mar. 28, 2021 5:54 pm

Capitol Ideas column: High demand for COVID-19 vaccine is great…

Capitol Ideas column: High demand for COVID-19 vaccine is great…

Erin Murphy Opinion Feb. 14, 2021 11:16 pm

Abolish the undemocratic Iowa caucuses

Abolish the undemocratic Iowa caucuses

Staff Columnists Nov. 14, 2019 7:05 pm

Staff Columnists

The only safe prison is an empty one

The only safe prison is an empty one

Adam Sullivan

Opinion Apr. 9, 2021 8:26 am

Caucuses in trouble? What’s new?

Caucuses in trouble? What’s new?

Todd Dorman

Staff Columnists Apr. 6, 2021 1:03 pm

Capitol Ideas: Election challenge ends, but issues remain

Capitol Ideas: Election challenge ends, but issues remain

Erin Murphy

News Apr. 4, 2021 11:44 pm

Iowa Democrats vie for ‘Back the Blue’ mantle during gun…

Iowa Democrats vie for ‘Back the Blue’ mantle during gun…

Adam Sullivan

Staff Columnists Apr. 2, 2021 5:00 pm

Opinion

Planting Forward: Companies and workers restore trees taken by derecho

Planting Forward: Companies and workers restore trees taken by derecho

Clark McLeod

Opinion 2h ago

Rethinking the rush toward electric vehicles

Rethinking the rush toward electric vehicles

Nicholas Johnson

Guest Columnists Apr. 9, 2021 1:16 pm

Property tax bill includes unwelcome surprises

Property tax bill includes unwelcome surprises

staff editorial

Staff Editorials Apr. 8, 2021 4:04 pm

A to-do list for the Iowa Legislature

A to-do list for the Iowa Legislature

Staff editorial

Opinion Apr. 8, 2021 8:15 am

News

Hari Michele Osofsky is first University of Iowa presidential finalist…

Hari Michele Osofsky is first University of Iowa presidential finalist…

Vanessa Miller

Higher Ed 6m ago

Linn and Johnson outpace state in rate of adults completing…

Linn and Johnson outpace state in rate of adults completing…

John McGlothlen

News Apr. 11, 2021 3:41 pm

Despite their discomfort, some residents beginning to agree to COVID-19…

Despite their discomfort, some residents beginning to agree to COVID-19…

Michaela Ramm

Health Care and Medicine Apr. 11, 2021 12:04 pm

CANCELED: Operation Quickfind issued for Marion boy

CANCELED: Operation Quickfind issued for Marion boy

The Gazette

Crime and Courts Apr. 11, 2021 11:40 am

Sports

Metro duo produce for fifth-ranked Louisville baseball

Metro duo produce for fifth-ranked Louisville baseball

K.J. Pilcher

Sports 3h ago

UNI football hangs with, but can’t beat, No. 2 North…

UNI football hangs with, but can’t beat, No. 2 North…

UNI Panther Football Apr. 10, 2021 8:50 pm

Photos: UNI Panthers vs. NDSU Bison

Photos: UNI Panthers vs. NDSU Bison

Gazette Visuals

UNI Panther Football Apr. 10, 2021 8:34 pm

Kirkwood advances to NJCAA D-II women’s basketball tournament

Kirkwood advances to NJCAA D-II women’s basketball tournament

Justin Webster

Sports Apr. 10, 2021 7:25 pm

FOLLOW US

The Gazette is Iowa’s independent, employee-owned source for local, state, and national news coverage.

© 2021 The Gazette

All Rights Reserved.

  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy
  • Web Accessibility

Contact Us

  • 116 3rd St SE
    Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
  • customercare@thegazette.com
  • (319) 398-8333
  • Live Chat

Links

  • Puzzle Answers
  • CR Arrest Database
  • Article Removal Request
  • Archives
  • Green Gazette
  • Corridor Careers Jobs
  • Work at The Gazette
  • Customer Care

© 2021 The Gazette

All Rights Reserved.

  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy
  • Web Accessibility
Folience A Folience Company